Fans of the Bourne film series flocked to theaters this summer when the release of The Bourne Legacy hit the screen. What viewers might not have realized when watching the action-packed film was the intense editing process that went into making it such a show-stopper. Bryant Frazer at Studio Daily and Oliver Peters at Digital Video each had the opportunity to interview The Bourne Legacy’s editor John Gilroy, and through their respective articles, share what it was like to work with his family on the project (his brother Tony Gilroy was the writer-director and his other brother Dan Gilroy co-wrote the screenplay), how he managed editing on such a tight production schedule, and the various places he set up his Avid Media Composer to make sure he got the job done. Here are a few sound bites from Gilroy that were captured in the interviews. Check out Oliver’s full interview on DVand Bryant’s on StudioDaily.

On Family:

“As an editor, I work in much the same way with Tony as I do with other directors. I try to understand the vision of the film they’re trying to make, in big ways and small… I’ve certainly known Tony longer than any other director I’ve ever worked with or ever will, so there is undoubtedly shorthand to that sort of understanding, but essentially the process is the same.” – DV

“People would say, 'Well, how are they going to get along?' But we always got along. We have a very similar sensibility and it's a pleasure working with him. It's totally organic.” – Studio Daily

On a Fast Production Schedule:

“This was a long shooting schedule and a short post schedule, so that puts some extra pressure on the editorial process….Probably the biggest challenge for me was that the film’s most complicated action sequences were shot in the Philippines at the end of the schedule instead of at the beginning or the middle. There were all sorts of visual effects that had to be delivered, so I had to hone some very complex sequences very quickly.” – DV

"We had a long shooting schedule and a very short post schedule…I only had 10 real weeks to put the thing to bed after we stopped shooting. So we were working hard from the get-go, and moving quickly." – Studio Daily

On Avid:

“I’ve thought about trying out other software—like [Apple] Final Cut—in between films, there was never a real need. I’m happy that Avid has been able to keep improving itself over the years with various small innovations” – DV

“’The size of the team expanded until, near the end of post-production, close to 15 editors were each working on an Avid Media Composer connected to a Unity shared storage network,’ Gilroy and first assistant Harrison set up a couple of Avids [Media Composer] in a hotel room near the shoot, where they could consult closely with the director during the final weeks of principal photography.” – Studio Daily

Kudos to John Gilroy and his team for an amazing film and a big thanks for sharing your story!